Cascador, a Nigeria-focused platform that unlocks the potential of the region’s most transformative entrepreneurs, on the 2nd September 2026 in Lagos announced its new cohort as it kicks off the 12-week 2026 ScaleUp Program. Chosen from a pool of over 1000 applicants, this year’s cohort is made up of 10 Nigerian growth-stage companies, with proven traction in real economy and tech-driven industries. The companies are: Beauty Hut Africa (beauty), BEYOND Fitness (wellness and fitness), ColdHubs, Finger Chops (FMCG), EHA Clinics (health), Maanj Agric, SunFi, Tulay Africa (wholesale metals and minerals), Venco (property management), and Ziba Beach Resort (tourism). Each of these startups will receive the following support from Cascador to help them scale and expand their impact throughout the ScaleUp program:
Bespoke 1:1 support from investors, African and international experts, and strategic partners.
Eligibility for follow-on funding through Cascador’s Catalytic Fund, which deploys $2–5 million annually in growth capital through local currency debt, equity, guarantees, and collateral investments in partnership with Sterling Bank.
12-week program: 2 weeks of in-person sessions – including the program kickoff and pitch week, packaged with 10 weeks of virtual sessions for founders and their leadership teams.
Live Pitch Day, for the chance to be awarded $50k USD in prizes.
Since 2019, Cascador has supported more than 70 entrepreneurs who have collectively raised over $125 million. In 2025 alone, Cascador’s alumni delivered essential products and services to more than 1.7 million customers.
About the ScaleUp Cohort
The 10 selected Nigerian growth-stage companies represent an elite class of businesses that are driving healthcare access, food security, clean energy, and job creation across the country. Chosen from more than 1,000 qualified applications, this cohort reflects Cascador’s strategic shift toward ambitious growth-stage businesses poised for scale, with proven traction from Nigeria’s real economy and tech-driven industries.
The 10 companies are:
Venco – Bringing payments, utilities, communications and operations for multi-tenanted communities onto one digital platform.
SunFi – Powering solar adoption through a digital platform for financing, distribution, installation and management of clean-energy products and services.
ColdHubs – Helping farmers, traders and food businesses reduce post-harvest losses through solar-powered cold storage.
EHA Clinics – Expanding access to comprehensive primary healthcare through integrated digital, pharmacy and home-care services.
Beauty Hut Africa – Building Africa’s beauty commerce infrastructure through technology-enabled retail and distribution of local and global beauty products.
BEYOND Fitness – Combining fitness, recovery and community to create premium wellness experiences for professionals and teams.
Ziba Beach Resort – Building experience-led leisure destinations that unlock the potential of Nigeria’s domestic tourism market.
Tulay Africa – Connecting global industrial buyers with African producers to build a reliable supply of export-grade critical minerals.
Maanj Agric – Connecting smallholder farmers to financing, climate-smart inputs, storage and markets through a coordinated farming network.
Finger Chops – Producing and distributing high-quality bread at scale to households, retailers and institutions across Nigeria.
Feedback From The Founders Of The Selected Companies
“We’re incredibly proud to be part of Cascador’s 2026 ScaleUp Program. The mentorship, resources and networks the program provides will accelerate our growth to transform how residential and commercial communities operate across Africa. As we scale, our goal is to bring our secure and efficient technology platform to more communities across new cities and countries, giving the managers who run them better tools to serve their residents,” said Chude Osiegbu, CEO and Co-Founder of Venco”. With 60% of businesses in this year’s cohort led by women and founders from 5 out of 6 regions across Nigeria, the cohort brings together a diverse range of perspectives, experiences and market knowledge.
The diversity of the cohort, combined with the depth of Cascador’s influential network of faculty, mentors and advisors, creates opportunities to foster new partnerships, broaden networks, expand market access and unlock growth beyond their individual businesses. “The founders in our 2026 ScaleUp program reflect the ambition, resilience and entrepreneurial talent driving Nigeria’s economy forward. Their businesses are already creating jobs, generating value and spurring growth across some of the country’s most important sectors. Our focus now is helping them scale further and unlock their full potential, giving them the training, mentorship, networks and
leadership skills needed to power their next phase of growth,” said Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador.
“Finger Chops has been able to grow from a catering service into a trusted full-scale bakery serving communities and businesses. But our vision does not stop there; we want to build a leading African food manufacturing company rooted in quality, locally sourced products and operational excellence. Being selected for Cascador’s 2026 ScaleUp Program brings us closer to making that vision a reality, and we look forward to all the opportunities it brings,” said Adenike (Oyebola) Fetuga, CEO of Finger Chops.
About Cascador
Since 2019, Cascador has supported 70 ventures that have collectively raised $125 million in capital. In 2025 alone, Cascador’s alumni delivered essential products and services to more than 1.7 million customers.
“The next chapter of Nigeria’s entrepreneurial story will be about what happens when proven businesses get the support they need to scale. That is the opportunity this cohort brings, where visionaries, innovators and impact driven leaders can grow their businesses sustainably with lasting economic value,” said David DeLucia, Co-Founder of Cascador. You can register to be notified when applications open for Cascador’s next cohort here.
Cascador is a Nigeria-focused platform for growth-stage founders building businesses that make an impact. Through Cascador ScaleUp, its flagship program, Cascador works with an elite cohort of entrepreneurs to strengthen their leadership and sharpen their strategy, preparing them to scale successfully. ScaleUp alumni gain exclusive access to the Catalytic Fund, which deploys up to $5M USD in capital annually through a blend of debt and equity investments. Since 2019, Cascador has supported 70 companies that have collectively raised over $125 million.
Today, alumni are driving innovation, creating jobs, raising investment capital, winning awards, and changing the face of the African economy.
Learn more at www.cascador.org
